Porcelain Heart
by walkingwithgiants
Summary: Takes place after The Night and The Silent Water. Eric talks to Sookie about a new car, a bullet, and putting things in her.... did I seriously just write that?


I wrote this last night at 2 in the morning, posted it and then I forgot something. Tried to edit it, but I couldn't. Tried deleting it. Didn't work. I digress. Here's another shorty. I'm not even sure why I wrote this but after rewriting it a few times, it grew on me. I hope those of you who read it, enjoy it. When I write, I feel like I'm flashing my "ladies", seriously. I don't know why. I get all nervous. I had a couple of little PMs with The Night... that were borderline rude and I think it's thrown me off a bit but I'll grow some balls, no worries. Thank you again to those of you amazing readers out there who write me and add me or my stories to any of their lists and alerts, I love it just as much as I love Coke. Which is a lot, believe me.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in Southern Vampire Mysteries, Miss Charlaine Harris does. I just like to borrow 'em.

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"A Toyota, I understand. But a Prius? I can't even pronounce that correctly." Eric snickered staring at the computer screen on his desk. Shifting his BlackBerry to his other ear, he double clicked on an image of a hideous blue car on the link his bonded had e-mailed him.

Sookie let out a sigh over the phone. " Look, it's not like I want a new car but I figured Claude needed my Malibu more than I do." He could feel the sadness she felt through the bond talking about Claude because he knew the damn fairy only further reminded his dear one of Claudine and her violent death. Beyond drunk one night, probably distraught from the loss of his twin and being closed off to his remaining fairy family after Niall closed the portal, the moron wrapped his car around a tree. Or maybe he swerved off the road to avoid hitting an animal. Eric wasn't sure that Sookie even knew the whole truth. Opening up the top drawer of his desk, he pulled out the document left by Niall to Cataliades officially signing over the majority of his fortune to Sookie, with Eric as the executor of the amount. Referring to the sum of money and investments as an amount was an understatement. Eric could only imagine that he was involved in the transaction because Niall didn't want Sookie to have a direct connection to that much money. She had already been through enough with regards to her great-grandfather.

"I understand, lover. With all the money Niall left you, you could buy any car you want. Have you seen those sexy little Lexus cars that...."

"I'm not going to buy any fancy car just for the name. The Prius is a little more expensive than I would like but it gets about 45 miles per gallon, it's a Hybrid, and to top it off- it's a Toyota. It's going to outlast _me_."

He felt his back straighten up against his chair the moment Sookie innocently uttered those last few words. The thought of her possible death was becoming more and more difficult for him to even imagine, much less accept, every day. Over the last few weeks, not a minute went buy that he didn't think about Sookie's safety. The fear of waking up and not sensing her flow of energy through their bond caused him to wake several times during his daytime sleep to subconsciously reach out and make sure she was still radiating life. The anxiety followed him like a shadow on a sunny day. If he could have nightmares, that's what would haunt them. Her absence. "I still think it's ugly no matter how many miles per gallon you get."

"I know but that's what I want. For sure," she paused. Her pauses were never for good reasons. "Eric?"

"Yes, temptress of my heart?"

"Nevermind," she hesitated. He could almost feel the words on the tip of her tongue. He heard her close Amelia's laptop and then she sighed again.

He fingered the edges of the envelope carefully. "Sookie."

"Do you remember when we went to Stan's in Dallas, after we rescued Farrell? When you tricked me into sucking that ridiculous bullet out of you?"

The laughter escaped his lips unintentionally remembering the incident. "Oh yes. I remember licking those delicious bloody lips afterward."

"Yes, my big bullshitter." Her laughter filled the line and he couldn't help smiling. "Anyway, I found that bullet in my dresser tucked away in a scrap of your clothing today while I was cleaning. At first, I didn't know why I had even decided to keep it that night... why I still have it. It just made me feel kind of... embarrassed and ungrateful for how good you were to me. It's been bothering me all day thinking about how much of an _asshole_ I was."

"I see." He paused for a moment, taken back by her recollection of that time years ago. "I wouldn't call you an asshole, darling. You were dating Compton back then and that speaks volumes for your state of mind."

Sookie laughed even louder that time. "W-O-W. In that case, I think you might have to stick me in a mental institute since I let myself get bonded to you."

Reaching over to slip Niall's document back into his desk and then turn off his computer, he purred. "You have nothing to worry about, I only think of things I can put in you."

Miles away he could feel a wave of lust through the bond as she absorbed his words, hearing her choke up briefly. "I'm going to bed now, Eric, before I start having images of those things. Can you turn off the porch light for me when you get here?"

"Anything for you, lover. I will see you soon." Eric grabbed his keys out of his drawer at the same time he hung up. Turning off the lights to his office, he nodded goodbye to Pam on the bar floor indicating his departure for the night. Going through his mental list of things he needed to make sure were done before getting into his Corvette and heading to Bon Temps, he remembered his conversation with Sookie. Reaching for his BlackBerry, he typed a quick message to Bobby. 'Find me a cranberry colored Toyota Prius. Not red. Cranberry. Tomorrow.' He could almost feel his heart swell at the image of Sookie finding a cranberry colored repulsive disaster of a car in her driveway. So practical. He was beginning to think the blood bond could be seeping into his wife's state of mind, making her think even more logically than usual. Or not. He had imagined her choosing a Ford or another Chevy but if a Prius was what she wanted to use Niall's money for, that's what she would get. Getting into his car and turning it on, he smirked to himself- a habit he found himself doing more frequently than usual now that he was taking what was his.

She had kept the bullet. _Yes she did_. He almost swore to himself the stars got a little brighter in the city sky.


End file.
